Fickle gods,
allowing us to fail ourselves
so that we may serve their ends.
Cephissus had drawn to him, a mermaid
(a beautiful woman of the water)
from the depths of the sea to the mouth of a river
(the limit of his domain)
and made a gift of her to his son, Narcissus
(a vainglorious child).
The distraction proved effective for a time
(Echo made herself known),
longer than was expected by the gods
(the child was full of pride),
and the siren grew restless for the affections of Narcissus
(she lacked a mirror).
Setting out to win her love back, she sought Pandora
(know to be of great beauty)
and saw her equal, but for the jar gifted by the gods
(which the mermaid quickly hid away).
Knowing her beauty was divine as a gift of the gods
(Pandora having been blessed by Aphrodite)
and that her wit and guile were any mortal’s equal
(her riddles had sunken many ships),
the mermaid set out to open Pandora’s jar, once again
(the evils contained already set loose on the world)
and found Hope resting under the lip
(trapped by Pandora and the Cloudgatherer).
Taking Hope between her breasts, she dove beneath the waves
and swam away from the troubles of gods and men,
with hope close to her heart
and the pettiness of those on land far behind.
The All Father order her crafted,
to be created of water and earth,
gave her the name of All Gifted.
She was a punishment given to all mankind,
to let loose evil on the land,
where none had been known.
Nothing more than an instrument of retribution,
a pawn of childish gods,
left to wander the land an outcast
for playing the role she was given,
Pandora was the first born of us,
mother of man and child of none.
We are moved by the will of the fates,
blown by the winds of destiny,
punished for the gifts the gods have granted us.